A Question of Love
by Shinammi
Summary: They were words she'd spent her entire life hearing. Then out of nowhere, they were exposed as  lie. Now she isn't sure how to handle hearing them again.


_Hola, peoples! :) Me again. This is just a little something I came up with while brainstorming for my drabble series. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had a full-fledged fic! (Alliteration. Whut? xD) I'm not the best at writing romance, and the middle section of the story was AGONIZING (Dialogue sequences are not my friend.) but I'm proud of what I ended up with, soooo..here's hoping some of you will enjoy it! Thanks in advance for checking it out!_

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Several weeks had passed since the people of Corona were reunited with their princess, and Rapunzel was settling into her new role quite nicely. Life was busy - hectic, even - and there were numerous things to learn and remember; but the young royal was adapting easily, with a remarkable sense of grace. In fact, she seemed to truly enjoy the challenge, expressing an enthusiasm and excitement for each task presented to her. Put simply, Rapunzel had never been happier.

So it came as quite a surprise when early one evening the princess abruptly retired to her room, firmly closing the door behind her, and did not emerge for several hours. No one could guess the reason for her sudden withdrawal, but many - palace servents and, in particular, her parents - attributed it to stress or fatigue. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite so simple.

Now, many hours later, in the privacy of the princess's room, the only one able to witness Rapunzel's distress was her closest friend, Pascal. The tiny chameleon perched at the foot of the spacious bed and watched with concern. Rapunzel was pacing the floor of her bedroom, anxiously twirling the ends of her short, brown hair. After a moment, she sighed loudly and raked both hands against her scalp.

"What should I do, Pascal?" It was evident by her tone that she was very much upset. "What if he's really angry with me?"

Pascal cocked his head to the left and chirped in reply.

"I know! But I think I've really messed up this time. What if he assumes the worst? What if..what if he doesn't ever want to see me again?"

At this, Rapunzel sat down heavily on the edge of her bed, nervously biting her thumbnail. "What should I do?" she murmured again. Pascal nuzzled at her hand. He was shifting between various shades of blue - calming, soothing colors. The princess didn't seem to notice. When the chameleon squeaked again, she looked down at him to see that he was pointing towards her bedroom door with his tail, an encouraging expression on his small face.

She glanced over at the door, then back at him, anxiously biting her lower lip. "Are you sure?" Her answer was a decisive nod.

Rapunzel was still very _un_sure, but after a moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "..Okay."

Trying her best to appear confident, she rose, walked across the room, firmly grasped the handle, pulled the door open...

And found herself face-to-face with the very source of her recent anxiety.

Eugene stood on the other side of the threshhold, looking every bit as surprised to see Rapunzel as she was to see him. He blinked once, then lowered his arm from where it had been raised to knock on the door.

"Well, you're still breathing. That's certainly a relief."

The princess raised an eyebrow at him. "..What?"

"You've been in your room for hours and haven't made a sound. The Queen hasn't gone this long without seeing you since you came here; she was worried." His eyes softened, noticeably. "_I_ was worried."

Rapunzel looked baffled by this. "But I thought you would be upset with me!" she blurted out before she could stop herself - Now it was Eugene's turn to look baffled. He wracked his brain, trying hard to figure out what would lead the princess to believe this, and his eyes widened as realization slowly dawned on him.

He sighed. "C'mere." Taking her by the hand, he walked into Rapunzel's bedroom and led her over to the bed itself, gesturing to it. "Sit," he told her. She did as he said and he settled himself next to her, waiting several moments before speaking.

"Okay," he began. "_What_ is this all about? Things were going fantastically earlier today, and then all of a sudden you just shut down on me. I've never seen you look so startled. And now _this?_ No offense, Blondie, but you're not exactly the reclusive type."

Rapunzel had kept her gaze trained on the ground while he spoke, but she couldn't help tensing up at his words, though she remained silent. Getting no response, Eugene tried again, bumping is shoulder against hers affectionately. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

She was still very hesitant to speak up, but she knew she would have to eventually. Almost nervously - why was she afraid of him all of a sudden, she wondered - she raised her eyes to his.

"This afternoon..when we were alone," she started slowly, "You told me that...you said that..you loved me."

Eugene smiled, remembering the moment vividly. He reached out and took her hand, linking their fingers together. "Yeah, I did. I _do._" Rapunzel looked away, and suddenly a thought occured to him, causing his smile to fade. "That's not what this is about, is it?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he started to feel a bit nervous himself. "What? Do you think I was lying to you?"

"No!" Bright, green eyes widened in shock as Rapunzel tried to reassure him. "No, no, it's not that. I know you wouldn't lie to me. I trust you."

"Then..I don't understand."

Confusion was plainly written on the princess's face, along with pain, and a little bit of fear. She seemed to suddenly withdraw into herself, something highly unlike her, and her next words were quiet and very hesitant.

"She used to say that to me. Every day.."

Finally, it became clear what had been bothering Rapunzel for the majority of the day. To be honest, Eugene found it to be a pretty silly thing to worry her, but in a way, he understood. They were words she'd grown up, spent her entire life, hearing from one person, and one person only. She believed them. And then, out of nowhere, she was hit with the realization that they were a lie, a cruel, vicious lie told to her by someone she deeply cared about and who she'd thought cared about her. It had shaken her badly, even though up until now she had never admitted it. Hearing those words again, even from the man who loved her more than anything else in the world, must have been at least a little unsettling with her trust shattered the way it was.

Rapunzel just didn't know how to react.

Which led to something else that Eugene, in truth, only just then realized.

"You're afraid to say it yourself."

Rapunzel looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. It was true; her only response to Eugene's heartfelt confession was to stare back at him. She hadn't returned the sentiment. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I just felt so confused and I didn't know what to do or..or what to say! I mean, I _did_ know what to say, I just couldn't make myself say it! You must hate me for just standing there like that-"

"Woah, woah, wait a second!"

Flinching at his outburst, Rapunzel turned her head away, trying her best to keep from crying. This was it.

But to her surprise, Eugene reached out and turned her face back towards him, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. He smiled, laughing slightly. "You've got it all wrong there, Blondie," he said. "I know you're probably feeling pretty shaken up, but this isn't that big a deal."

"What are you talking about? You told me-"

"I know what I told you. And like I said before, I meant it. _I love you._ Crazy as it is to hear that from me, it's true." Rapunzel smiled a bit at that. "What I mean is," he continued, "It isn't a big deal if _you_ aren't ready to say it to _me_. Flynn Rider's a patient man; he can wait." This time her smile was brighter, and she giggled.

Leaning forward, Eugene kissed her softly, effectively erasing all the worry from her mind and drying her tears. She could feel her heart beating just a little bit faster and suddenly, all the fears from her past weren't anything she was afraid of anymore. He was all that mattered.

When they drew apart, Eugene kept his forehead pressed against hers, and he smirked at her ever so slightly. "Just do me a favor, alright? Please don't run off into hiding every time you hear me say it, because having to track you down that many times a day... it might start to cause a few problems in our relationship."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and laughed, feeling much better than she had in several hours. She threw her arms around him and nuzzled against shoulder, her eyes closing in contentment when she felt him return the embrace. Yes, she had definitely been silly to let this bother her.

"Eugene?"

"Hmm?"

Rapunzel smiled. "I love you."

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_...Where did Pascal go? I dunno..xD Little continuity error there; Sorry! _

_I actually wanted to write a bit more, but I like this ending so I figured I'd just leave it where it is. ;)_


End file.
